Aaron Holmes Gwin (born December 24, 1987) is an American professional downhill mountain biker from Morongo Valley, California. He is a five-time World Cup overall champion.

Race career

Aaron Gwin started his cycling career racing

BMX BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation. History BMX began during the ea ...

from the age of 4. By age 8, Gwin was racing at a national level. At age 12, Gwin moved on to

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

and raced up until he was 17, when he quit due to constant injuries. In 2008, at age 20, Gwin was loaned a bike by fellow professional downhill racer and good friend Cody Warren and was encouraged to compete in a race. In his first race in the Fontana Winter Series, he placed 3rd, and began racing from then on, quickly signing with Yeti Cycles. He became well known for breaking into the international

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

scene after only 8 months of riding downhill. Many saw Gwin as the savior for US downhill racing on the international scene, since his 10th-place finish at the Mont Sainte-Anne

in 2008 was the first American top 10 finish since 2004. He has since won eight United States National Championships for Downhill, in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. In 2011 and 2012, Gwin dominated the UCI World Cup downhill series. Gwin won 5 out of 7 World Cup races in 2011, and finished 13th at the UCI World Championships in Champery. In 2012, Gwin once again dominated the circuit, taking first place in 4 out of 6 World Cup races. He finished in 128th at World Championships in Leogang. The year 2013 was a disappointing one for Gwin, with unexpected poor results culminating in an accident involving a tree at the World Championships. In 2014, Gwin's racing improved from 2013, although with only one 1st in the World Cup along with the USA National Championships. His racing showed recovery from his 2013 setbacks, but suffered several mechanical accidents, such as his run in

Leogang Leogang is a municipality in the district of Zell am See (district), Zell am See (Pinzgau region), in the state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg in Austria. It is a famous winter sports and summer mountain hiking resort. Population Sights :Mining ...

at the UCI MTB World Cup in 2014, where he suffered a flat tire as he left the start gate, which resulted in the tire coming off of the rim; or his 2015 race run at the Leogang UCI MTB World Cup where his chain broke on the start line, and he raced without pedaling for his race run, managing to hold his speed and win the race.

Riding style

Much of Gwin's style and skill come from his motocross experience. His

racing experience has also contributed to his ability to ride smoothly, bringing him success in Dual Slalom and Mountain Cross.

Teams

Gwin was sponsored in 2008 by Yeti Cycles. He left the Yeti team in November 2010 to join the Trek World Racing Team after relocating to Temecula, CA. During his time at Trek World Racing, he won two World Cup Overall titles, in 2011 and 2012. On January 7, 2013, it was announced that Aaron would be riding for Specialized Racing, replacing Sam Hill on the team. His teammate at Specialized was Troy Brosnan. Aaron_Gwin_2015

After a successful season with Specialized, Gwin announced that he would be leaving the big brand to ride for up and coming brand YT Industries for the 2016 season. In 2019, Gwin signed with Intense Factory Racing. In 2024, Gwin left Intense Factory Racing and formed an independent team, Gwin Factory Racing.

Results

;2008 ::10th place, Sea Otter Classic Downhill ::7th place, MSC #2 Chalk Creek Stampede Mountain Cross ::1st place, MSC #2 Chalk Creek Stampede Dual Slalom ::4th place, Deer Valley National Dual Slalom ::4th place, Deer Valley National Downhill ::1st place, MSC #5 Blast the Mass Downhill :10th place, 2008 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #4 Mont Sainte-Anne,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada :34th place, 2008 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #5 Bromont,

, Canada ::1st place, MSC #7 Snowmass G3 Downhill ::1st place, MSC #9 MSC Gravity Finals Downhill :8th place, 2008 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #8

Schladming Schladming () is a small former mining town in the northwest of the Austrian state of Styria that is now a popular tourist destination. It has become a large winter-sports resort and has held various skiing competitions, including most notably th ...

, Austria ;2009 :17th place, 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #1

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; ) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa after Durban. It was named in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. The town was named in Zulu after King ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

:14th place, 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #2 La Bresse France :16th place, 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #3 Vallnord

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

:9th place, 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #4 Fort William, Scotland :14th place, 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #5

Maribor Maribor ( , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the List of cities and towns in Slovenia, second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is the seat of the ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

:1st place, USAC National Downhill Championships, Sol Vista

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

United States :3rd place, 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #6 Mont Sainte-Anne,

, Canada :5th place, 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #7 Bromont,

, Canada ::1st place, MSC #3 Blast the Mass Downhill, Snowmass Village,

, United States :21st place, 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Stromlo,

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, Australia :4th place, 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #8

, Austria ;2010 ::2nd place, Sea Otter Classic Downhill :7th place, 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #1

::1st place, IXS German Cup,

Winterberg Winterberg (; Westphalian: ''Winnenmerg'') is a town in the Hochsauerland district of North Rhine-Westphalia, central Germany and a major winter sport resort of the Wintersport Arena Sauerland. Geography Winterberg is located in the middle ...

, Germany :4th place, 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #2 Fort William, Scotland :3rd place, 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #3

, Austria ::24th place, MSC #3 Blast the Mass Downhill, Snowmass Village,

, United States ::1st place, MSC #4 Blast the Mass Downhill, Snowmass Village,

, United States :1st place, USAC National Downhill Championships, Sol Vista

United States :8th place, 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #4 Champerey, rance:14th place, 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #5 Val di Sole, taly:4th place, 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #6 Windham,

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

, United States :4th place, 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Mont Sainte-Anne,

, Canada ;2011 :1st place overall for the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series, the first American to ever win a World Cup Overall Title and the first man to win 5 World Cup DH races in one season: :1st place, 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #1

, South Africa :5th place, 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #2 Fort William, Scotland :1st place, 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #3

, Austria :1st place, 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #4 Mont Sainte-Anne, Quebec :1st place, 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #5

Windham, New York Windham is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Greene County, New York, Greene County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,708 at the 2020 census. The town was probably named for the Windham, Connectic ...

, USA :3rd place, 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #6 La Bresse, FRA :1st place, 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #7 Val di Sole, ITA ::1st place, US Open ;2012 :1st place overall for the 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series :2nd place, 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #1

, South Africa ::3rd place, Sea Otter Classic Downhill ::2nd place, Port Angeles Grand Prix Downhill :1st place, 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #2 Val Di Sole, Italy :1st place, 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #3 Fort William, Scotland :1st place, 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #4 Mont Saint Anne, Canada :1st place, 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #5 Windham, United States :5th place, 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #6 Val D'Isere, France (After this race he clinched his 2nd UCI Mountain Bike World Cup championship) :83rd place, Leogang, UCI MTB World Championships 2012 Austria :DNF, 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #7 Hafjell Bike Park, Norway ;2013 ::1st place, Sea Otter Classic Downhill

Monterey Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census. The city was fou ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States :20th place, 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #1 Fort William, :6th place, 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #2 Val di Sole, taly:10th place, 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #3 Vallnord

:1st place, USAC National Downhill Pro Championships, Angel Fire

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

United States :5th place, 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #4 Mont Saint Anne, Canada :67th place, UCI MTB World Championships 2013

;2014 :1st place, 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #1

:4th place, 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #2

Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...

, Australia :4th place, 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #3 Fort William, :78thplace, 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #4

, Austria :1st place, USAC National Downhill Pro Championships, Angel Fire

United States :6th place, 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #5 Mont Saint-Anne, Canada :2nd place, 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #6 Windham,

, United States :6th place, 2014 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #7 Meribel, France :14th place, UCI MTB World Championships 2014 Hafjell Bike Park, Norway ;2015 :1st place overall for the 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series :1st place, 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #1

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for its Château fort, a ...

, France ::1st place, Sea Otter Classic Downhill

, United States :2nd place, 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #2 Fort William, :1st place, 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #3

, Austria :8th place, 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #4

Lenzerheide Lenzerheide ( Romansh: ''Lai'') is a mountain resort in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland at the foot of the Parpaner Rothorn. The village lies in the municipality Vaz/Obervaz in the district of Albula, sub-district Alvaschein. Th ...

switzerland :1st place, USAC National Downhill Pro Championships, Mammouth

United States :7th place, 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #5 Mont Saint-Anne, Canada :1st place, 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #6 Windham,

, United States :1st place, 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #7 Val di Sole, taly ;2016 :1st place, Overall for the 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup :1st place, 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #1

, France :4th place, 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #2

, Australia :2nd place, 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #3

Fort William, Scotland Fort William is a town in the Lochaber region of the Scottish Highlands, located on the eastern shore of Loch Linnhe in the Highland (council area), Highland Council of Scotland. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census, Fort William had ...

:1st place, 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #4 Leogang, Austria :2nd place, 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #6

Mont Sainte-Anne, Quebec Mont-Sainte-Anne is a ski resort in eastern Canada, located in the town of Beaupré, Quebec, about northeast of Quebec City. The mountain is part of the Laurentian mountain chain and has a summit elevation of above sea level with a vertical ...

:1st place, MaillotUSA

National Mountain Bike Championships - Downhill :55th place, 2016

UCI Mountain Bike World Cup The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is a multi-round mountain bike racing series that is sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale The Union Cycliste Internationale (; UCI; ) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees int ...

#7 Vallnord, Andorra ;2017 :1st place overall for the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Series :DQ, 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #1

, France :3rd place, 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #2 Fort William, :1st place, 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #3

, Austria, :5th place, 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #4 Vallnord

, :51st place, 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #5

switzerland, :1st place, 2017 USAC National Downhill Pro Championships

Snowshoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footw ...

West Virginia United States :1st place, 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #6 Mont Saint Anne, Canada :1st place, 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup #7 Val di Sole, taly :3rd place, 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships

, ustraliaCairns (AUS) - 10 SEP 2017 Final
Mountain Bike World Championships ;2018 :1st place, Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup Lošinj 2018

External links

Aaron Gwin Official Site

Aaron Gwin: Rider Bio

Aaron Gwin: Rider Results and Palmares at Roots & Rain

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gwin, Aaron American male cyclists Downhill mountain bikers Living people People from Morongo Valley, California 1987 births American mountain bikers